NEW YORK -- The Yankees now have Brandon McCarthy and Chase Headley as tangible proof of general manager Brian Cashman's many hours of July negotiating, but with the July 31 non-waiver Trade Deadline approaching, they would like to cross the finish line on more deals.

"We just keep trying to find different ways to upgrade, and these are the ones I have to show for those results," Cashman said. "We're hoping that we can get a jolt from every single addition that we bring in here. We're going to keep mixing and matching, but we'll see. We're open to anything."

Cashman has said that acquiring starting pitching is his priority, but he revealed that he had been talking to the Padres about acquiring Headley for three weeks; the McCarthy trade with the D-backs, for lefty Vidal Nuno, took more than 1 1/2 months to pull down.

"That's the one thing that I can tell you, probably on behalf of the 29 other clubs: It's just not easy getting through and finding common ground," Cashman said.

The Yankees are known to have scouted Phillies left-hander Cliff Lee, who struggled on Monday against the Giants in his return from the disabled list. They have also checked in on left-hander John Danks of the White Sox, according to CBS Sports. Those talks are said to be in the "early stages," according to the report.

"I have more work to do," Cashman said. "I'm going to still continue to try to improve on what we have. I feel like I've got more work to do."

That work would come at a price, depending on the target. To complete the trade for Headley, New York had to part with infielder Yangervis Solarte and right-hander Rafael De Paula, who ranked as the 15th-best prospect in the Yankees' system.

Thus far, Cashman has resisted dealing coveted prospects like right-hander Luis Severino, catcher Gary Sanchez and outfielder Aaron Judge, though he said that the Yanks' farm system has drawn attention from rival GMs.

"We've got high-end stuff, without a doubt -- players that other teams like," Cashman said. "And those players would be available, or will be available, in the right circumstances."